Wednesday, April 1, 2009

This week is little Jimmy's spring break, and given that we're going on 6 days of no school and not a whole lot of getting out (aside from a trip to the local Wa-Ma. . . .) we decided to go on an outing today. Our destination: Uncle Donald's Farm in Lady Lake (right amongst the Villages). While I'd heard about this little working farm from friends, I never could've imagined just how much fun it would be or I would've started going a LONG time ago!While Uncle Donald's Farm is only about 2 miles off of SR441 it feels like you're right in the middle of the country. There is ample room for all the livestock to graze and play, and there is ample livestock for the farm's visitors to play with too!

We first enjoyed a hay ride wherein we were able to feed some hungry cows and a feisty llama or two (see picture below of llama chasing the hay wagon hoping to get some more eats!). After that, we fed some sheep and visited with all the animals in the barn (which included: newborn lambs, chicks, baby alligators (!), snakes of all sorts, Shetland ponies, donkeys and a ginormous pig named Wilbur. Next, we enjoyed an actual guided tour of some of the animals wherein various animals were taken out of their pens to be petted and fed.After all our discoveries, we were hungry for lunch. There were plenty of picnic tables in the shade available for the farm's constituents to enjoy some fine dining. (Also, for those who are rather germaphobic like myself, it's worth noting that the farm had a humungo wash station complete with running water and antibacterial hand soap; after all the animals had licked food out of our hands, we figure it was best to scrub down before feeding ourselves.) While we ate, we enjoyed the pleasant company of chickens, a big white dog, several cuddleh kittehs, and a couple of proud peacocks strutting their stuff amongst us - the best lunch entertainment possible!

Next, it was time for pony rides. The kids LOVED this! Little Jimmy had the air of a real cowboy, and Kyla was simply awe-struck by the whole event (before we left the farm we visited their tiny shop where the kids each got a real cowboy hat for about $3.50 to remember their riding experience by).

Finally, we checked out their section of wild animals. There were various sorts of owls and vultures, otters (which unfortunately for us, were hiding in their little cave home so we couldn't see them play), a panther (fabulous to see one of those actual alive here in Ocala!), a fox, coyotes, an emu, and some funny little animals that I've never seen before that look like a cross between a bunny and a kangaroo.

For a total of around $25 (kids under 3 are FREE), I'd say we couldn't have possibly found a more fun adventure for the day! Uncle Donald's Farm easily takes my vote for the Best in Show of the Ocala area. If you're ever looking for a little outing with your kids for the day, this is most definitely the way to go!

2 comments:

Aww, that looked like a lot of fun. Cute pics too! This is just the sort of thing I've had the hankering to do...feeding cows and hanging with the critters. What a neat place. That Llama looked like she was coming right for you!

Moments that are too classic to not share

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